Amador County – About 40 people attended a ceremony to mark the reopening of the Amador County Museum’s Miniature Mines Exhibit Saturday in Jackson.

Amador County Historical Society President Gary Reinoehl kicked off the open-air ceremony on the Museum’s new blacktop parking lot, and introduced several dignitaries in the audience, including those who later would cut the golden ribbon to open the new ramp to the reopened mine exhibit. Those cutting the ribbon were long-time Museum Curator Georgia Fox, Jackson City Councilman Pat Crew, and Amador Supervisor Chairman John Plasse.

Past Curator Cedric Clute said: “We hope this is the first step in bringing all of Amador County’s history back to life.”

Clute said he found the three model mines in storage at the museum, after taking over as curator. The predecessor to Fox, Clute said: “It was my job to decide what to do with it.” He said: “I’ll be anxious to see it again.”

He recalled purchases at Spinco Hardware while working on the exhibit, and $50 at Radio Shack for a cassette machine to play the music on. The tape includes the score for the introduction of “King Kong” in the movie, to introduce the Kennedy Mine head frame. He said the machine is probably the same one he bought years ago.

Plasse acknowledge Larry Cenotto for his work on the public-private partnership: the Museum lot, and a new wheelchair ramp to the Mine Exhibit. He said Cenotto had started the work before Plasse got on the Board. Plasse said “Larry kept running into roadblocks,” and Supervisors found that the best approach was just to “get out of the way, and turn that entrepreneurial spirit loose.”

Councilman Pat Crew said he agreed with Plasse. He gave kudos to the accomplishments. Crew said “there is no I in team,” and if this were Sacramento, “I don’t know if you would ever get done.”

Reinoehl also offered thanks to Fox for the 101 things she has done, and noted that she was looking for volunteer docents to lead the mine model tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, or by appointment. The displays will be open 10-3 Saturdays.

Reinoehl thanked the major donors, including the Jackson Rancheria, Crew, Larry Cenotto, Stan Lukowicz, and the Bank of Amador. He also thanked the Board of Supervisors support in the partnership, which ended the three-year closure of the model exhibit. Cenotto said the Museum proper still needs foundation reinforcement.

Donations of work were done by Trevor Mottishaw, Phil Giurlani, Leonard Williams, John Hertzig, Jack Scott, and Kam Merzlak. Amador County General Services’ Jon Hopkins, Mark Olivarria, and Darren Robinson also gave assistance on the project.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.